Japan’s Sanae Takaichi Wins Snap Election in a Landslide

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi won a sweeping mandate from voters for her economic agenda and tough stances on immigration and China.Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan received a resounding mandate for her economic policies and tough stance on immigration and China after snap elections on Sunday.Credit...Pool photo by Kim Kyung-HoonFeb. 8, 2026, 11:44 a.m. ETPrime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan made a big gamble on Sunday, holding a snap election only 110 days after she became the first woman to serve as the country’s prime minister. It paid off, with voters offering a resounding mandate for her economic policies and tough stance on immigration and China.Ms. Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party won in a landslide, securing an absolute majority in Japan’s 465-member House of Representatives, the lower house of Japan’s bicameral Parliament, according to NHK, the public broadcaster. As of early Monday in Japan, the party had won at least 310 seats, up from 198, NHK said.The result clears the way for Ms. Takaichi to enact a conservative agenda on defense and social issues and to strengthen her position on the global stage, with President Trump having given her candidacy a ringing endorsement.The outcome is a remarkable reversal of fortune for Ms. Takaichi’s party, which governed Japan for much of the past seven decades but has suffered a series of bruising defeats in recent years, leaving it in the unusual position of being a minority in both houses of Parliament.Ms. Takaichi told NHK after her victory on Sunday that she had called the snap election because she felt “it would be wrong to simply drag things along without seeking a public mandate.” Regarding the legitimacy of her government, Ms. Takaichi noted she had “felt a sense of unease for a while.”With her party now on a stronger footing, Ms. Takaichi will face few constraints as she pushes aggressive government spending programs and expansive national security laws. By joining forces with another group, the Japan-innovation-party" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="10718" data-entity-type="organization">Japan Innovation Party, Ms. Takaichi will likely be able to harness a supermajority to fast-track her priorities.ImageA crowd waiting for Ms. Takaichi during a campaign event in Higashimatsuyama, Japan, earlier this month.Credit...Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters“The L.D.P. will not stand in her way, and there will be virtually no opposition ability to slow down her agenda,” said Tobias Harris, the founder of the advisory firm Japan Foresight. “The biggest constraints she likely faces are external: financial markets, Washington and Beijing.”Ms. Takaichi is working to persuade Mr. Trump to maintain American military and economic commitments in Asia; the two are set to meet in Washington in March. Mr. Trump backed her in a post on Truth Social on Friday, calling her a “strong, powerful and wise leader.”After her victory on Sunday, Ms. Takaichi responded to Mr. Trump’s endorsement, writing on X that “the potential of our Alliance is LIMITLESS.”Ms. Takaichi is dealing with the fallout of China’s efforts to punish Japan over a comment she made in support of Taiwan, a self-governed democracy that Beijing claims is part of its territory. She said in November that Japan could intervene militarily if China were to attack Taiwan.China unleashed a wave of reprisals, restricting Japanese seafood imports, discouraging tourism to Japan and moving to limit the export of critical minerals to Japan.Ms. Takaichi’s supporters hope that her victory will help send a message that Tokyo will not back down in the face of Chinese threats.“Japan should maintain a firm stance without making any compromises,” said Aoi Nakamura, a 22-year-old college student in Tokyo who cast a vote for the Liberal Democrats on Sunday.Ms. Takaichi, 64, soared to victory in part because of her popularity among young people, who see her as a charismatic, dynamic leader.“She’s clearly distinguished herself from the past image of the L.D.P.,” said Akira Tamagawa, a 20-year-old college student voting in Tokyo. “She states things very clearly.”ImageVoters across Japan braved snow to cast their ballots, including at this polling station in Tokyo on Sunday.Credit...Louise Delmotte/Associated PressVoters braved icy roads and wintry winds to cast their ballots. Heavy snowfall forced many polling stations to open late or close early. Even so, Japanese news outlets estimated that turnout was about 56 percent, compared with about 54 percent during the last House of Representatives election in 2024.Mitsuru Go, 80, a retired fishmonger in Tokyo and a lifelong supporter of the Liberal Democratic Party, said he hoped Ms. Takaichi would be able to govern more effectively with a stronger majority.“Rather than doing things little by little or on a small scale, it will be good to do things as a bigger collective and do what she wants to do and get things done,” he said.Ms. Takaichi’s win comes as right-wing groups in Japan are gaining strength. Sanseito, a Japanese political party that shares some similarities to Mr. Trump’s MAGA movement, won at least 11 seats, up from two, according to NHK. The party has an outsize voice in national politics, and it has put pressure on Ms. Takaichi to move swiftly to raise stagnant wages and crack down on immigration.Ms. Takaichi might push other changes long sought by conservatives, including enacting an anti-espionage law and amending a pacifist clause in the Constitution to unfetter Japan’s military.The economy was front and center in the campaign. Ms. Takaichi has put forward aggressive government spending programs that aim to spur growth, but have also stoked jitters about Japan’s staggering debt levels.ImageOfficials counting ballots in Tokyo on Sunday.Credit...Takashi Aoyama/Getty ImagesA proponent of fiscal stimulus to break a longstanding deflationary cycle, Ms. Takaichi pushed through a record supplementary budget last year. She has accelerated plans to increase military spending and to advance large state-led investments in artificial intelligence and semiconductor manufacturing.Japanese families are seeking relief amid the rising costs of some staples like energy and fresh food.Now the public will look to Ms. Takaichi to deliver on her promises. With her decisive win, she might be tempted to hurry her agenda through Japan’s legislature, known as the Diet, commentators said. But some warned that she should be careful not to overreach.Shigenobu Tamura, an independent political analyst and former L.D.P. official, said Ms. Takaichi “must always remain humble” in running the Diet.“If she forgets that," he said, “things won’t go well.”Javier C. Hernández is the Tokyo bureau chief for The Times, leading coverage of Japan and the region. He has reported from Asia for much of the past decade, previously serving as China correspondent in Beijing.River Akira Davis covers Japan for The Times, including its economy and businesses, and is based in Tokyo.Kiuko Notoya is a Tokyo-based reporter and researcher for The Times, covering news and features from Japan.Hisako Ueno is a Times reporter and researcher based in Tokyo, writing on Japanese politics, business, labor, gender and culture.SKIP